Our Founder

John Piper was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, to Bill and Ruth Piper January 11, 1946. When John and his older sister were still small, the family moved to Greenville, South Carolina, where John spent his growing-up years. His father was an itinerant evangelist, and his mother died in 1974 in a bus accident while visiting Israel.

In 1980, sensing an irresistible call of the Lord to preach, John became the senior pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he ministered for almost 33 years.

Desiring God began inauspiciously in 1994 when John handed off the church’s tape ministry to his assistant, Jon Bloom.

What started with tapes and John’s books, Desiring God has blossomed into an international web ministry with 14,000+ free resources and 3.5+million monthly users. Today, John serves as lead teacher for the ministry.

Our Mission

Most people in the world have no experience of deep and abiding joy.

Even though it is something we all desperately long for, the assurance that true happiness can be known — fully and forever — is a hope that billions of people live every day without. This is a tragedy.

Desiring God is on a mission to change that.

We aim to help people everywhere embrace a profound truth that changes everything about life and eternity:

You were created for something greater than yourself. You were formed for something awesome and magnificent.

You were made to know glory — God’s glory. And the deepest longings of the human heart can be fully satisfied by pursuing that glory. In fact, God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him.

We call this truth Christian Hedonism. And declaring it to the world is why we exist.

Our Resources

Everything we create and distribute here at Desiring God exists to guide you toward everlasting joy in Jesus Christ. Here are a few of our most popular resources:

Ask Pastor John - Life is hard and often leaves us asking tough questions about God. Listen to John Piper answer these questions from the Bible.

Look at the Book - Can we really hear from God by reading the Bible? Absolutely! Watch John Piper study a short passage of Scripture (with color-coded highlights) and learn to know God through his word.

Solid Joys - By fueling our minds with truth day after day, our hearts will grow to see God as a satisfying treasure. Read or listen to a short, God-centered devotional from John Piper for every day of the year.

We also have thousands of articles, sermons, books, and podcasts.

Our Funding

Desiring God is fueled by the prayers and generosity of God’s people, with 98% of our budget coming from donations. God’s pattern is not only to raise up people with a message and a vision, but also partners in prayer and finance. When you give, you can have the confidence of knowing that lives are being impacted for eternity 24/7 through the 12,000+ resources freely offered at Desiring God. We invite you to join us in this work by becoming a ministry partner and making a donation.

Questions?

If you have a question about our ministry, or need guidance with regards to our resources, we’d love to assist you. But unfortunately, we can’t answer all incoming emails, and are unable to give personal counseling advice.